


Echoes of the Past, Hope for the Future

by starbuck92



Series: Hope Burns Bright [3]
Category: Ant-Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Angst, Backstory, F/M, Families of Choice, Family, Grief/Mourning, Non-Linear Narrative, Not A Fix-It, Post-Endgame, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-02
Updated: 2019-08-02
Packaged: 2020-07-29 04:44:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,496
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20076358
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starbuck92/pseuds/starbuck92
Summary: Her breath caught in her throat, her thoughts beginning to spiral away from her as the reality she had struggled to come to terms with crashed upon her like a thunderclap. Yes, they had won that day, but it felt almost insignificant next to the enormity of what she had ultimately lost: Tony had died and she had been gone five years.“Only people who are capable of loving strongly can also suffer great sorrow, but this same necessity of loving serves to counteract their grief and heals them.”― Leo Tolstoy





	Echoes of the Past, Hope for the Future

**Author's Note:**

> This is not the story I envisioned writing in the months, weeks, and days leading up to Endgame. I had pictured writing a happy little reunion to tie up this series with maybe Hope sharing a moment with Tony just before his wedding to Pepper. Clearly, that idea went out the door thanks to the movie, so this wound up becoming Hope confronting her grief and trauma following the events of Endgame. I've never written a nonlinear story and it is purposefully disjointed to mirror Hope's mindset; the general time frame is between the battle at the Avengers facility and about six weeks after Tony's memorial. Not the easiest thing to write, particularly given the subject matter, and I hope I did the story justice. 
> 
> Many, many thanks to Avery who tackled the beta on this one and made me dig deeper into Hope's soul than I originally intended and to Kory for putting up with my constant mantra of "does this sound okay?" several times a week while this was being written. You two are gems.

There was a chill in the evening air as the fog began to roll in, the cold droplets of water clinging to every available surface outside: the plants decorating the patio, a little girl’s bicycle left out on the grass, a small damp patch at the back of his dress shirt. Tony shivered, wishing he could remember what had become of his suit jacket as he stepped out the back door of the house.

The corners of his mouth twitched as his question was unexpectedly answered by the sight of the thick, black fabric wrapped around the narrow shoulders of the dark-haired child sitting on the steps a few feet in front of him. He sat down next to her, playfully plucking the jacket sleeve.

“Thief.”

Hope gave him the briefest of smiles before she burrowed further into the material, the momentary spark of joy short-lived, reminding him of a shooting star burning up in the atmosphere. The sight made his heart clench. Instinctively, he slipped a gentle arm around her, and she exhaled softly as she snuggled her head against his shoulder, curling into his protective embrace.

A companionable silence settled over the two children, a stark contrast to their usually dynamic personalities. The only sounds they could hear came from the quiet voices of the handful of adults conversing inside and the occasional car passing down the street. It was a welcome respite from the never ending stream of people who had crowded the house earlier in the day, all come to pay their respects and say their final farewells to Janet van Dyne.

Tony knew that any moment his mother would pop their bubble of temporary peace, marching outside at the request of his father to retrieve him so they could make the drive to the airport and board the jet that would take them home. He braced himself to say goodbye.

“I don’t want you to go.”

Her perceptiveness was sometimes uncanny, he mused. That ability to pick up on his thoughts and emotions was disarming, and were it any other person he would have deflected and bit back with a snarky response, but the truth was this girl wasn’t just anyone. Hope was his little sister in everything but blood, every bit his confidante, fellow troublemaker, and one of his few true friends.

Taking a deep breath, he nudged her to her feet, remaining seated before her and holding her arms steady as she swayed slightly. Hope looked completely exhausted, a deep-seated sorrow dulling green eyes that had always been bright and mischievous every time he had seen her. She laid her hands down on his knees, biting her lip in an uncharacteristic display of uncertainty as she waited for him to respond.

There were a dozen excuses he could have given her for not being able to stay longer - all of them true - but none of them would bring her any comfort. The stability of her childhood had been snatched away in an instant, and as her fingers dug into the material of his slacks, he realized she desperately needed a measure of familiarity. She was literally clinging to one of the constants in her life, afraid of losing him like she had lost her mother.

“Hey, I need you to know I’m always going to be here for you no matter what,” he reassured her, his tone soft but firm as he met her gaze evenly. “Doesn’t matter how far apart we are or where we end up or how rich and famous you become when you grow up and have guys like me picking up your dry cleaning. You’ll always be my Connect Four.”

The nickname he had given her the first day he had met her drew a tentative smile from the girl and Tony couldn’t help but chuckle at the reaction, brushing his forefinger against the tip of her freckled nose.

“To-ny,” she whined, giggling quietly and trying to duck her head away.

The lighthearted moment passed and the boy became serious once again, meeting Hope’s eyes as he leaned forward and tenderly brushed her hair back from her face, her own expression sobering as she sensed the shift in his mood.

“I will _always_ be here for you,” Tony swore again.

“You promise?”

She sounded so incredibly young, her voice just barely audible despite the near silence surrounding them, and he caught a glimpse of the way her lower lip trembled before she clenched her jaw, squaring her shoulders and trying to put on a brave face for him. It was something he had noticed her doing throughout the day as person after person offered her their condolences, forcing back the tears, presenting the perfect picture of strength under the watchful eye of her father.

It was something Tony wanted her to know she never had to do around him.

Instead of replying, he pulled Hope into his embrace, rising to his feet as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders, hanging on to him like a lifeline. He wasn’t sure what had changed between her and Hank that had made her so rigid in her father’s presence, only that he saw echoes of his own relationship with Howard and the thought scared the shit out of him, and while he had Maria to lean on during the worst of times, Janet was gone. Kind, funny, amazing Janet, who had been nearly as much a mother to him as his own. And if she couldn’t be there for Hope, then…

Tony squeezed his eyes shut at the rush of emotion and hugged Hope closer, kissing the side of her head and sealing his commitment to look after her with a single word.

“Promise.”

* * *

_“Hey, Hope. If you’re watching this, the probability of me doing something mindblowing to bring you and everyone we lost home was only exceeded by the reality of me doing something stupid that went incredibly wrong. You know me. Those two things usually go hand in hand._

_I’ve missed you. A lot has happened and I can’t tell you how many times I’ve picked up my phone to call you up and… I can’t talk to you because you’re not here. And I feel like it’s my fault because I couldn’t stop him from… I couldn’t save everyone.”_

* * *

Hope opened her bleary eyes, her brows knitting as stiff muscles protested her return to consciousness, tired and jetlagged from the red eye cross country flight she had taken. The brief nap hadn’t made her feel any better, but that might have been due to the fact that she was pressed up against the arm of the couch, sitting cramped in the corner with her legs tucked beneath her and her head resting on one of decorative pillows. The temptation to stretch out along the full length of the piece of furniture was almost too strong to resist until she looked down at the other person occupying the space.

Pepper was fast asleep, her head cradled on Hope’s lap while the rest of her body lay prone on the cushions.

She had picked Hope up from the airport earlier that morning before driving them back to the secluded property of the Stark family cabin. No one else was home when they arrived, Morgan off at school for the day and Happy likely spending time in his own cottage near the main gate. Pepper had taken the opportunity to properly take Hope on a tour of the expansive grounds and the house, ending with a shared late breakfast in the living room. Hope didn’t remember either of them falling asleep, her thought processes sluggish from her body clock being thrown completely off kilter.

She rubbed the remaining sleep from her eyes and looked around. Sunlight streamed through the windows, giving the large, airy room a welcoming glow, the beams catching the highlights in her friend’s hair, almost making it appear like a halo. As she studied Pepper’s face, she realized that she looked older than Hope recalled, the faintest of lines barely visible on what had once been smooth skin, and she had to remind herself that it had been a very long time since their last meeting.

Both Pepper and Tony had been at her bedside after the battle to bring her mother home from the quantum realm, providing Hope with medical care at a private facility despite the fact that she and Hank were still on the run from law enforcement. It was there that Tony had extended an olive branch following their ugly fight at the Avengers facility two years previously, mending their broken friendship. And it was there that she had been told by Pepper that the pair were finally engaged, though Tony had playfully insisted that she couldn’t be Pepper’s Maid of Honor because he was in need of a Best Woman by his side. 

For Hope, those events had happened just three months ago. In actuality, it had been over five years.

The last thing she remembered with vivid clarity was standing beside her parents as they waited to retrieve Scott from the quantum realm, watching in horror as they disappeared before her eyes. Then she was jolting awake on the rooftop with Hank and Janet by her side, only there was no sign of Scott or the van that housed the mini quantum tunnel. Before any of them had time to try to make sense of what had happened, a man identifying himself as Dr. Stephen Strange appeared from what looked like a spinning portal of light, asking her to trust him as he gave her a brief summary of what had transpired.

The whole thing seemed incredulous and impossible and Hope wasn’t sure she believed it, but she couldn’t take the chance once she was told that Scott, Tony, and the rest of the Avengers needed help. The innumerable questions that left her mind reeling would have to wait. She locked it all away, donning her suit and charging in after Strange, focused on the battle at hand to save the world. The fight was unlike anything she had ever seen and by the end she was sighing in relief after the tide inexplicably turned in their favor, only to have that joy turn to ash in her mouth at the bitter loss that was the cost of their victory.

Her breath caught in her throat, her thoughts beginning to spiral away from her as the reality she had struggled to come to terms with crashed upon her like a thunderclap. Yes, they had won that day, but it felt almost insignificant next to the enormity of what she had ultimately lost: Tony had died and she had been gone five years.

Five years. 

Five _years_.

Hope shut her eyes tightly, her hands clenching into fists as she fought to control her breathing, but the images continued to assault her mind one after the other, reminders of how everything had changed.

Five missed birthdays. Five missed summers. Five missed winters. Five missed New Years. Five missed Christmases. Five missed anniversaries. Five years of not seeing Cassie or Morgan growing up. Five years of missing friends. Five years of missing family. Five years. 

_Five fucking years_.

A plaintive whimper escaped her and she slapped her hand over her mouth in horror as she saw a wrinkle appear between Pepper’s eyebrows and she shifted slightly in her sleep. Thankfully, the woman did not wake. Knowing she was seconds away from falling to pieces, Hope carefully inched her way off the couch and delicately slid Pepper’s head onto the cushion without disturbing her further. She stumbled away as quick as she could, coming to a stop next to a table on the other side of the room, clutching the edge as she tried to find a way to ground herself.

Everything was spinning as if the whole room was off its axis, but closing her eyes made the vertigo even worse, creating the illusion that the walls were closing in on her. Her heart pounded uncontrollably in her chest as if the organ was slamming against her very bones, trying to escape the confines of her ribcage, and a cold sweat prickled all over her skin, causing her to shudder as she did everything in her power to try to take a breath, to suck in the oxygen she knew was there, but her throat had closed up on her.

She couldn’t breathe. She just couldn’t _breathe_.

As she felt blackness creep within the edges of her vision, she raised her head and found herself looking directly at a framed photo on the wall: Tony, beaming with pride and awe, holding Morgan, who was looking at her father like he was the greatest man in the world.

_“I will_ always _be here for you.”_

The memory of his voice echoed in her head until it drowned out every other noise and image that had been dragging her down into the depths of anxiety, and she eventually found herself taking deep breaths through her nose and exhaling through her mouth, unconsciously falling back on the relaxation techniques she had learned years ago. The process was gradual but eventually calmness began settling over her like a warm, familiar blanket, protecting her from the destructive terrors lurking deep in her subconscious mind. 

She wasn’t sure how long she stood there, staring, before a floorboard creaked behind her.

“Hope? Honey, are you okay?”

Wincing, she hung her head for a brief moment before she slowly turned to face Pepper, grimacing as she took in her sleep-tousled hair and concerned face. Shame churned low in her belly at having disrupted the other woman’s rest.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you,” she murmured.

Pepper shook her head and took a few steps closer, scrutinizing her with eyes that picked up even the most minute details. Her shoulders lifted an inch as she sighed softly. 

“They haven’t been this bad in a long time, have they?”

Taken aback, Hope blinked in surprise, opening her mouth to reply, but the words wouldn’t come. As far as she knew, she had given no indication to her friend that she had recently been plagued with panic attacks.

“I talked to Scott last night,” Pepper admitted with a guilty quirk of her mouth.

Her first instinct was to roll her eyes and curse Scott, but she immediately quashed it, knowing he only had her best interests at heart and would do anything to help her, including cluing Pepper in about what she had been going through in the aftermath of the battle at the Avengers facility. That didn’t mean she wanted to burden her friend any further, however, and she resolutely remained silent, shifting restlessly as she snapped her mouth shut.

Slowly, Pepper walked closer, her movements patient and precise as she reached for the younger woman, sliding her hands up and down her arms, the touch gentle. As Hope looked up into her face, she saw a knowing smile paired with a hint of heartache that shone through those blue eyes.

“After New York, Tony kept all of his fears about what he experienced buried. He thought I wouldn’t notice how he started spending more and more time in his workshop, barely sleeping. He held it all in until he was having nightmares and suffering through panic attacks, coming apart at the seams.” The smile wobbled for a second as she ruefully added, “You two could be so alike sometimes.” 

Hope swallowed hard, her own memories of what Tony had been like during those awful months mirroring the past few weeks of her own life. The realization genuinely startled her. Pepper had seen Tony at his absolute worst and navigated through it all with more grace than outsiders could begin to imagine, all the while never losing sight of herself. Even if she hadn’t spoken to Scott, the other woman was shrewd and insightful and would have seen right through Hope’s attempt to downplay her issues thanks to her experience dealing with another willful, stubborn genius.

Still.

She opened her mouth again, prepared to insist that Pepper had been through enough, that she didn’t need another problem to solve on her endless list of responsibilities, but her friend’s posture immediately straightened and a hardness Hope had rarely seen firsthand flashed across her face.

“Stop. I know what you’re going to say. Don’t even start.”

All of Hope’s arguments died on the tip of her tongue at that tone of voice. It was the one Pepper used whenever she was dealing with recalcitrant individuals who tried to underestimate her ability to run Stark Industries, the people who doubted her leadership despite how many times she had come through funneling the vast resources of one of the most successful enterprises in the world to where the help was needed the most. That voice was powerful in its quiet ferocity, leaving no room for anyone’s bullshit - apparently including Hope’s.

“Hope, we’re family. We support one another,” Pepper insisted, softening once more, and for the first time in a very long time, Hope noted, there was a twinkle of wry mischief in her eyes. “And let’s be honest, I’ve been in the business of supporting superheroes for a long time.”

The statement elicited a surprised laugh from Hope, her eyes filling with tears at the relief she felt flooding through her, immediately making her feel lighter for the first time in weeks. She closed the gap between them, slipping her arms around the other woman and hugging her tight, Pepper’s own arms locking around her shoulders.

“Thank you, Pepper,” she breathed, closing her eyes and allowing herself to lean on her friend, grateful for the understanding.

* * *

_“I’ve been trying to keep you safe for years, but you’ve been doing a pretty good job of taking care of yourself for a long time now. You could kick my ass even before you became the Wasp. And you’ve always had what it takes to be an Avenger._

_God, I wish I could’ve seen you in the suit, just once.”_

* * *

Reading about battles fought throughout the course of human history did nothing to prepare someone to participate in one, Hope mused. Books did not do justice to the press of people, friend and foe alike, fighting for their lives in such close quarters, the cacophony of hundreds of weapons and every grunt of pain deafening. Words couldn’t define the oppressive heat nor the disorientation of a limited field of vision, eyesight impaired by clouds of black smoke curling into the sky and dirt kicked up in the wake of countless constantly moving feet. And it was impossible for any historian to begin to describe the buzz of hyperawareness that prickled every nerve ending, a radar of sorts pinging every time another being came too close for comfort.

It was perhaps that mindfulness that alerted her to the feeling that someone was watching her.

Hope quickly dispatched the creature she had been grappling against with a vicious right cross, spinning in the opposite direction and bracing herself to meet the next opponent, fists raised, only to freeze like a deer caught in the proverbial headlights.

Tony stood not more than ten feet away from her, helmet off, gazing at her with wide eyes as if he was seeing a ghost. 

'He is,' she realized with a shock like being doused with cold water as she remembered Strange's jumbled explanation, words that hadn't truly hit home until this moment as she took in Tony's ashen expression and threads of silver hair. There was no denying the hard truth that he had aged and it took much longer than three months for a person’s appearance to change as his had. Years really had passed.

It took him a minute, but he eventually regained his bearings, a small, slow grin appearing on his face.

“Look at you,” he marveled, eyes bright with unshed tears.

She closed the distance between them, barreling into him with the force of her hug, causing him to involuntarily step back and laugh softly. Hope pulled back enough to study him properly, her fingers hovering over the gash on his temple, but he caught her hand, squeezing her fingers.

“Hey. I’m okay,” he reassured her, watching as her own fingers curled around his, that look of disbelief momentarily flashing over his face again before the sound of an explosion nearby jarred him back to chaotic reality. 

“Listen, I know you’re more than capable of protecting yourself, but I made something for you that will give your blasters a bit of a boost. You don’t have to use them, but…”

Tony trailed off, drawing what appeared to be a pair of heavy duty bracelets from his own suit. Hope blinked in surprise as they materialized seemingly out of nowhere, and damn, she needed to have a detailed conversation with him about that kind of tech once this was all over. Instead of giving him a verbal response, she simply extended her arms toward him, allowing him to slip the bracelets over her gauntlets, tapping a fingertip against a button on one ring and dragging it outward, demonstrating how to activate them. They were a perfect fit, blending in with her suit seamlessly.

Hope raised her eyes, giving him a nod and a tender smile, touched to know he had still been thinking about her well-being all those years and keeping faith that he would find a way to bring her and everyone else he had lost home again.

“I’ll put them to good use,” she promised. “Thank you, Tony.” 

He carefully placed his armored hands on either side of her face, pressing a kiss to her forehead, his expression saying everything they didn’t have time to put into words. After one last look at each other, they separated, Tony’s helmet snapping protectively around his head and Hope activating the Pym particles in her suit to shrink herself down. On a whim, the tiny Wasp used Iron Man’s shoulder as a jumping point to dive back into the foray and she grinned fiercely as she heard him laugh in appreciation.

If she had known then that it would be the last time she saw Tony alive, she would have told him she loved him and held on to him longer, just a few more precious seconds of keeping him safe.

* * *

_“If what we’re planning to do actually works, you can thank your boyfriend. It was his idea to pull off a, what’d he call it? Time heist. Personally, I think he’s seen Back to the Future one too many times, but… he’s a smart guy. And he loves you, Hope. Scott knew he was in way over his head, but you were the reason he sought us out and gave us the tools we needed for this plan._

_I still think he's an idiot, but apparently he's your idiot, and I guess I'm getting soft in my old age because I made damn sure he's on my team for this time travel jaunt. I’ll bring him back to you.”_

* * *

“Hope? Hope! Oh God, please wake up, please wake up. _Hope!_”

The sheer desperation in the familiar voice wrenched Hope to wakefulness, helping her break free of the confines of the nightmare, the frightening images lingering just at the edge of her conscious mind. She scrambled out of bed, covering her face with the palms of her hands and pacing the room as she wrestled against the aftereffects, pulse racing and body trembling.

“You’re safe now, Hope. It was just another nightmare. You’re home.”

‘Home,’ she thought with a sharp pang. Home had once been the old Victorian house where she had spent her childhood until her mother disappeared and the place gradually became more and more like a prison. Home had become the conservative but warmly furnished and decorated apartment she had kept after her return to San Francisco following her employment at Pym Tech until Scott had run off to Germany and sent her and her father into hiding from the authorities. Home had been Tony, familiar and affectionate, snarky and sweet, playful and protective, a presence that had been ingrained in her very soul since she was five years old… until he, too, had been taken from her.

Recently, home had inexplicably become synonymous with Scott. Between the grief and disorientation from the time loss and her struggle to find a new normal in her life, she had ended up staying at his house more and more after the events in New York, finding solace in his presence. In the five weeks since the world had been forever altered, she had practically moved in with him. The change had become permanent one morning last week when Scott left a small box wrapped with a ribbon next to her pillow, a silver house key on a keychain decorated with a cartoon ant nestled within the tissue paper inside.

Hank had put up a token protest, still reeling from not only the five missing years but also the return of his wife, who had missed so many more. He was reluctant to let go of any part of his family so soon after they had been reunited, especially the daughter who had never once left his side during the two years they were on the run. It had been Janet who had steadied him and encouraged Hope to take the leap, promising that they would be nearby, but recognizing that after so many years of being strong for her parents’ sake, she needed space for herself while she grieved. 

After several minutes she finally came to a halt, unsteadily walking back toward the person the voice belonged to, sitting heavily on the edge of the bed. Her shoulders hunched as she twisted the sheets between her fingers, hanging her head as her breathing slowly returned to normal. She listened to the sound of the clock on the wall, the patterned ticks of the second hand moving in harmony with the beats of her heart as the last vestiges of the horrible dreams fell silent once more. Without looking back, she slid her hand across the bed, palm up, and immediately felt Scott take it, holding on tight. She knew he had been anxiously waiting for her silent signal that it was all right to touch her.

It had been a battle learning to lower her guard around Scott, particularly given their very memorable rocky start, but he had proven long ago how patient he could be. Over time, he had learned to navigate her sometimes prickly nature, never pushing her, and bit by bit, he earned her complete trust. She knew now that Scott would always have her back and, more importantly, he would do everything in his power to keep her heart safe.

He had been by her side every day since New York, holding her tight as she clung to him after the battle, shedding his own silent tears as he shouldered the weight of her insurmountable grief. He had clutched her hand in a vice-like grip during the memorial to remind her that even though her life had irrevocably changed, she wasn’t alone. He had borne the brunt of her night terrors, learning the hard way how to handle what she herself couldn’t control, never once allowing frustration or anger seep into his interactions with her, always remaining calm and understanding. 

Warm lips brushed a delicate kiss to the back of her shoulder, his voice slightly muffled as he rubbed gentle circles at the small of her back through the thin material of her tank top.

“I think you should go spend some time with Pepper at the cabin.”

That… was not what she expected him to say.

Tension coiled in her limbs and a sharp twinge of betrayal pierced through her at the suggestion. After all they had endured together, the thought that he didn’t want her around hurt, but it was second nature for her to smother the pain with anger. Years of emotional neglect from her father had taken their toll and it was all too easy to fall back on the immediate reaction to respond with a snide remark or enraged outburst to protect herself. He knew her well enough by now that he curbed the potential explosion by easing his arms around her waist, the pressure light enough for her pull away if she really wanted to, and shook his head against the spot where her neck met her shoulder.

“I’m not trying to send you away. Please don’t think that’s what this is. The last thing I would want is for us to be apart, but… hear me out?”

Hope took a deep breath and released it silently, letting go of her anger as quickly as it had burned through her, closing her eyes as she nodded. Feeling her settle down, Scott tucked his chin on her shoulder, his voice gentle as he spoke directly into her ear.

“You need time to heal and… I think maybe that’s a good spot to start. I got to spend a little time there while we were trying to figure out the whole time travel thing and it was a peaceful place. You could spend some time with Pepper, get to know Morgan a little better. And… maybe being where Tony spent the last few years will help.”

She was quiet while she contemplated his reasoning, her fingertips abstractly drawing physics equations on his arms. Her first instinct was to say no. San Francisco was her home and she had the infinite support of her immediate family as she tried to come to terms with everything that had happened in such a short span of time. It was a familiar place to be… except when it wasn’t. There were reminders everywhere of the five years that had passed, from the rebuilding of the city she had lovingly known since childhood to the fact that Cassie was a couple of months from celebrating her sixteenth birthday instead of her eleventh.

Scott had dealt with the fallout of the time loss slightly better than Hope, but there had been a few times she had caught him staring at his daughter with a stricken expression. He had previously missed out on Cassie’s childhood when he was sitting behind bars, and it had happened again while he was stuck in the quantum realm, coming home to find a graceful, beautiful young woman in place of the rambunctious, tiny ten-year-old he last remembered. Whenever she saw it happen, she would quietly pad to his side, slipping her arms around his waist and holding him until he stopped trembling, her shoulder often coming away wet with his tears.

Although she was reluctant to leave, the cabin was somewhere new, a place where she could perhaps make some memories instead of being haunted by them. From the brief amount of time she had been there for the memorial service on the lake shore, she thought the location had been idyllic, tucked away from the quick pace of life in the city, nature flourishing throughout the property. She had missed Pepper as well, and though they had Skyped and texted nearly every day, it wasn’t the same as actually physically being there for the woman who had never faltered in offering support for her loved ones. And truth be told, she had longed to properly spend time with Morgan, to make a stronger connection with the unique piece of Tony left behind. The little girl was now about the same age Hope had been when she first met Tony a lifetime ago, and his unfaltering love and friendship had anchored her after the loss of her mother. Maybe she would be able to be able to have the same impact on his daughter.

She turned her head slightly, her temple coming to rest against the crown of his head, and murmured, “I’ll talk to Pepper in the morning.”

Scott responded by dropping another light kiss to the corner of her mouth, his arms tightening a little more securely around her, and she leaned back against the solid warmth of his chest, feeling safe and relaxed. She focused her attention on the rhythmic sound of his breathing, her mind going blissfully quiet, and after a while, she began to drowse, surrendering to the pull of sleep.

Hope didn’t resist as Scott carefully lay back in bed, keeping her pressed against his torso. She snuggled into him, sending up a silent prayer of thanks for whatever compelled Hank to choose him for their original mission. Somehow they had prevailed through all the ups and downs of their relationship, weathering the storms and growing stronger together. The truth was, she didn’t have a clue what she would have done without him and she promised herself to remind him every day of how grateful she was to have him in her life.

Using the last bit of her wakefulness, Hope reached up with one hand, drawing him close for a sweet kiss, whispering “I love you” against his mouth. The corners of his eyes crinkled as he smiled lovingly at her, returning the sentiment in a hushed, awed voice. Sighing in content, she tucked her head beneath his chin, and the soothing sensation of his fingers carding through her hair and the steady beat of the strong heart beneath her ear were the last things she knew before she fell into a deep, untroubled sleep.

* * *

_“I know I promised you I’d always be there for you. I’m sorry I couldn’t keep my word, Hope. I’m so sorry.”_

* * *

Hope doesn’t remember seeing the lifeless body of Tony Stark.

In the years that followed, she remembered the initial confusion as the creatures she had been fighting against suddenly crumbled into ash before her eyes, the matter floating away almost serenely in the breeze, and the strange, fresh recollection of the same thing happening to her, to her _family_, hit her hard. She whipped her head around to find identical scenes playing out all around her, the air thick with ash, and it felt like a poetic kind of justice.

She rested her hands on her knees, her face grimy with a layer of soot and sweat, and she allowed herself a moment to just breathe, her pulse still racing with adrenaline, and every beat of her heart that drummed through her chest was a reminder that she was alive, alive, _alive_.

Hurried movement across the battlefield drew her attention and she caught sight of the bulky War Machine armor standing a head above the figures of Steve Rogers and Thor. In front of them was a boy she didn’t know, his slender frame wracked with sobs, all of their eyes trained on something in front of them on the ground.

Their distraught faces made the blood in her veins run cold. Before she even realized what she was doing, she was running toward them as fast as she could, stumbling over the debris littering the path to the small gathering of heroes, every instinct screaming that something was horribly wrong.

Jimmy glanced up just in time to catch her before she fell, and through eyes brimming with tears, she turned her head and saw…

Nothing.

She knows she was there, arriving only moments too late to say goodbye, but she doesn’t remember it.

The memory was just… _gone_.

Just like the man she had loved like a brother.

* * *

_“You know, I took it upon myself to look after you when you were a kid because of Janet. There’s a part of me that still can’t believe she’s back, but hey, after everything I’ve seen, nothing really feels impossible anymore. I’m happy you have a second chance to get to know your mom, Hope. She is an amazing lady.”_

* * *

The bay was agitated this evening, the waves crashing ashore, the breaks lapping at the toes of the woman sitting on the sand. Even before they had disappeared off the rooftop, Hope had often found her mother sitting out here alone with her thoughts. When pressed, Janet had admitted that sometimes she just needed the silence away from the bustle of a world she was still trying to figure out how to fit into, finding solace in the unchanged beauty of their secluded beach. It was where Hope knew she would retreat to after she and Scott had returned from New York and told her parents what had happened. There was no love lost between Hank and Tony, not after all the bad blood between him and Howard or the fact that Tony had threatened to wrest guardianship of Hope from Hank when Tony had still been little more than a boy himself.

Janet, however, had loved Tony as if he were her own son.

Hope settled herself down next to her mother, her heart painfully constricting in her chest when Janet gave her a sidelong glance with a tight smile, the tears sliding down her cheeks. She slipped her hand over Janet’s knee, offering a squeeze of comfort, drawing in a shaky breath as she steeled herself to tell her mother the truth she had the right to know.

“I know you’re still processing everything that happened between me and Dad when you were gone,” she began before Janet cut her off.

“No,” Janet softly growled, shaking her head vehemently. “Hope, I love you and I love Henry, but I’m not going to allow you to defend what your father did to you. How he all but _abandoned_ you.”

What Hope had endured during her mother’s time in the quantum realm had come to the surface just a couple of nights before their family had fallen victim to what people were calling the Decimation, all of the hard truths Hank and Hope had waited to admit to Janet until she had further acclimated to life in the 21st century divulged in a broken confession from Hank. Janet had listened in stunned silence, a multitude of emotions crossing her face, ranging from hot anger and betrayal to bitter heartache and disappointment. In the end, the family had no choice but to shelve further discussion on the matter until after the completion of the mission to go back into the quantum realm, pulling themselves together and uniting as a team to extract more healing particles for Ava Starr. 

Between their return to the world and Hope racing off to New York, they had yet to talk about it again, but Hope had sensed the tension and guilt radiating from her mother and rather than allow Janet to beat herself up about it, she chose to confront her about it the day she came home even though her own hold over her emotions was tenuous at best.

“Mom, I’m not trying to defend him and I don’t blame you for anything that happened between me and Dad,” Hope insisted, reaching for Janet’s hand and holding tight. “You have to believe me.”

Janet did not reply, instead biting her lower lip, her fingers constricting around her daughter’s.

“I wanted you to know… You _have_ to know… I wasn’t alone. Not completely.”

The unexpected declaration drew her mother’s attention back to Hope, her forehead creasing in confusion as she shook her head once, not understanding.

She gave Janet a small, soft smile, murmuring a single name that would explain everything.

“Tony…”

Comprehension slowly dawned on Janet’s face, her eyes widening as they watered and her voice choked up as she replied, “Tell me.”

Hope complied with the request, talking until she was hoarse as she shared the things that she thought would ease her mother’s conflicted heart: how Hope would always talk to Tony after she fought with Hank, how he sent her care packages all throughout her years at boarding school, and how he had essentially played a vital role in raising her from afar, helping shape her into the woman she was today. Janet hung on to every single detail until the very end when she sucked in a ragged breath, all of the information snapping into place alongside her knowledge of the most recent events, her expression crumpling as she realized how much her friend Maria’s son had done for her daughter and how she would never have the chance to thank Tony.

As her mother broke down, Hope’s own grief surged to the periphery of her awareness, raw and still too fresh, but she swallowed her own pain and focused on Janet instead, wrapping her arms around her mother’s shoulders, closing her eyes and burying her face against snow white hair, the sound of the waves crashing onto the beach almost loud enough to drown out the seven-year-old girl in her head screaming for her best friend.

* * *

_“Pepper and I finally tied the knot. I know, I know, it’s about damn time. What you may find more surprising is… we had a kid. You know better than almost anyone that I never thought I was father material but something changed in the last few years. Probably had to do with a kid from Queens and a kid from Tennessee. I hope you get to meet them someday._

_I wish I could have been the one to introduce you to Morgan. She is… God, it sounds like such a cliché to say she’s perfect, but she is. Indescribably perfect. Kind and funny… As beautiful as her mom. Way too smart for her own good._

_And I made sure to tell her all about her Aunt Hope. She already loves you and she can’t wait to meet you.”_

* * *

“Auntie Hope? Are you okay?”

The sound of the child’s inquisitive voice startled Hope from her reverie. She quickly closed the open photo stream on the Starkpad on her lap and set the device aside. Sniffling back tears, she turned towards the little girl that had snuck up behind her.

Morgan was still dressed in her school clothes, head tilted slightly to one side, her expression a picture of concern for the woman that was sitting on the grass with her back against a tree by the lake. Hope glanced over the girl’s shoulder to see Pepper watching them from a distance, giving her a wave to acknowledge she was aware of her daughter’s location before she continued into the cabin, leaving the pair alone.

Returning her attention to Morgan, Hope smiled, hoping she had successfully hidden her grief.

“Hi, sweetheart. I’m okay, you just surprised me.”

Hope watched in bemusement as Morgan studied her as if she was trying to figure out a puzzle, the girl’s forehead creasing and her eyes squinting ever so slightly. It struck her then that the child was every bit her mother’s daughter, already adept at reading people.

“I can go if I’m bothering you,” she stated, picking up on the fact that Hope had come out to the yard to be by herself.

That was perhaps her original intent an hour ago when she had wandered outside in search of a secluded spot to look through the photos Pepper had given her, but it was certainly the last thing she wanted right now.

“That’s silly,” she playfully scoffed. “After all, I came here because I wanted to visit you!”

The change in Morgan’s demeanor was instantaneous. A beaming smile brightened her features and she closed the distance between them, seating herself next to the woman and cuddling into her side without hesitation. In return, Hope slipped an arm around her tiny shoulders, awed at the girl’s easy affection and trust, sparking memories of how she herself had instantly taken a liking to Tony.

They sat in relative silence for a little while, breathing in the fresh air and listening to the sounds of the birds in the trees. Hope found her thoughts meandering to Scott, her mouth quirking as she realized he had been right: it was incredibly peaceful out here. Glancing down at the girl pressed against her, she finally started to believe that maybe he was also right about this place being the perfect location to help her on the path to heal her heart and soul.

Morgan giggled softly all of a sudden, pointing to a couple of squirrels a few feet away as they scuffled over a large acorn. The smaller squirrel was quicker than its larger companion and barreled toward them with its prize lodged in its mouth and the little girl shrieked with laughter, climbing into Hope’s lap as the bushy-tailed rodent bypassed them and scampered up their tree with the other animal following close on its heels. Both of them craned their heads as they heard the squeaks of the creatures before they ducked into a hole in the trunk several feet above the ground.

After she caught her breath, Morgan reclined against the woman’s chest, remaining in her lap and playing with the strings of Hope’s hoodie, glancing up at her shyly.

“Can I ask you something?”

Hope lightly rested her chin on the top of Morgan’s head, nodding with a soft “mm-hmm.”

“Can you teach me to play Connect Four?”

A quiet laugh escaped her at the unexpected request, the corners of her eyes prickling with sudden tears at the rush of memories the game evoked. She squeezed the little girl closer to her body.

“Oh, sweetheart, you don’t know how to play?”

“Daddy said you’re the Connect Four world champion and that if I’m gonna learn from someone I should learn from you. He said you’d teach me one day when you came home.”

Hope’s smile softened as she tucked silky soft strands of the girl’s hair away from her face, giving her a nod, not yet trusting herself to speak. Morgan simply stared back at her with eyes that twinkled brightly in the late afternoon sun, an easygoing, gentle smile on her face that was so reminiscent of the way Tony used to smile at her it made her want to cry. Curiosity, however, won out over the sadness.

“What else did your daddy tell you about me?” she wondered, chuckling as the girl scrunched her nose as she thought about the question.

The amusement, however, soon turned into genuine astonishment as Morgan began listing off things only Tony had known about her, stories from her childhood, her favorite things. That the first time she had met Tony, she had kicked him in the shin for poking fun at her freckles and how she hated ketchup but loved fresh tomatoes. That she was good at science, math, and music, but didn’t learn how to tie her shoes until she was eight. That Tony had been the one to introduce her to astronomy and the telescope in her childhood bedroom was a gift from him, and that when she was fifteen he had taken her to Paris for Christmas because he believed that she should see the city for the first time with someone who would always love her.

She was equally impressed by the little girl’s memory and floored by the extent of Morgan’s knowledge that it shouldn’t have come as any surprise why the child felt so comfortable around her despite having barely spent any time together. She must have already had a clear picture of who Hope was and how important she had been from everything her father had shared with her.

Hope was certain that if given the opportunity Morgan would have continued chattering about everything she remembered so she tried to gently interrupt her, calling her name and ducking her head down toward the girl’s face to draw her focus.

“...and he named me after Mommy’s uncle and you.”

The single sentence was enough to make her forget how to breathe for a moment, her eyes widening in shock.

“What?” she rasped.

Unaware she had spoken anything of importance, Morgan tugged on the hoodie strings again, her response sounding distracted as she concentrated, trying to tie them together in a bow.

“Mommy’s Uncle Morgan and Daddy’s Hope.”

It was such an innocent thing for a child to say without grasping the magnitude of the impact those simple words had on the adult sitting with her. Hope had never felt more blindsided, breathing shallowly through her mouth, her heart hammering hard enough in her chest that she feared the little girl in her lap would be able to hear it and her mind absolutely reeling as she considered Morgan’s name. 

Morgan H. Stark.

Morgan _Hope_ Stark.

How had she not made the connection before?

Why hadn’t anyone _told_ her?

She didn’t realize she was crying until the child carefully reached up, brushing the tips of her fingers against the wet trail of tears running down her cheeks, those warm brown eyes expressing her worry.

“What’s wrong?”

Hope didn’t have it in her to make up an excuse, to pretend that nothing was wrong because, damn it, everything _was_ wrong. Five years of her life had been stolen from her, five years in which her very existence had been wiped from the face of the earth by a madman, and when she had miraculously returned, the one constant who had been there her entire life, that selfless, brave, radiant soul she had loved for as long as she could remember, had given his own life to save the universe, leaving a chasm so deep in her heart she knew with every fiber of her being would never be truly filled.

She took Morgan’s small hands between her own, kissing her little fingers, remembering that it was this girl’s father who had promised to always be honest, to never lie to her from the time she was a child herself, no matter how much the truth may hurt.

“Your daddy was my big brother, Morgan,” she explained, hating the way her voice wavered but pushing through nonetheless. “He took care of me when I was little and he was there for me whenever I needed him and he was one of my best friends in the whole world. I just…”

Hope had spent weeks burying her grief, forcing it down every time it tried to rear its head, enduring all of the pain manifesting in her nightmares and panic attacks. Learning that Tony had named his daughter after her, talking to the child and seeing firsthand how much she was like her father… It was too much for her broken heart to take. Everything she had fought to suppress threatened to burst through every one of her defenses, and she was so fucking tired of fighting her feelings, all of the restraint crumbling as she gazed into those compassionate, tear-filled, beautiful eyes.

_Tony’s_ eyes.

The dam around her emotions shattered.

“I miss him so, so much,” she cried, covering her eyes with one hand as she hung her head, unable to face the child sitting on her lap, afraid of Morgan’s reaction to her sobbing. She was terrified she had frightened the girl, that she would feel her shrinking away and dashing back into the cabin and the safety of her mother’s arms, never wanting to spend another second with her.

It took her completely by surprise to feel a small hand gently pat her arm, the weight on her lap shifting as the girl leaned closer, her voice soft in Hope’s ear.

“Mommy said it’s okay to feel sad. It’s okay to cry,” she whispered.

She swallowed hard as she lowered her hand away from her face, her heart wrenching at the sight of tears rolling slowly down the girl’s face, sharing in her grief. Without another thought, she tugged Morgan into her arms, holding her tight as she rubbed soothing circles on her back, comforting her as best she could. She couldn’t bring herself to tell the child that everything would be okay; she logically knew the sorrow would lessen over time, that the sting of the loss wouldn’t be a sharp pierce to the heart someday, but the despair was still too fresh right now. Locking it away hadn’t helped Hope, but sitting there under the tree with her niece in her arms, she finally felt sufficiently safe to truly mourn, the ache in her soul easing just enough to give her hope.

The sun was closer to the edge of the horizon, twilight fast approaching, when she felt calmer and clear-headed once more. Morgan pulled back just enough to examine her face, carefully using the sleeve of her jacket to wipe away the tears on Hope’s cheeks and the woman couldn’t help but give the child a brilliant smile, touched by her sweetness.

This little girl was going to be a lifelong reminder of the man Hope had loved, whether it be in her heartfelt smiles or her curious nature or the innate ability to brighten the world around her. Tony would live on through his daughter, and Hope knew she would do anything to make this kid happy. To keep her safe. And she was absolutely certain this is what Tony must have felt all those years ago when he looked at her, determined to do everything in his power to make her life less lonely. To always remind her she was loved unconditionally.

Hope smiled through her tears, lightly holding Morgan’s face between her hands and leaning in to press a lingering kiss to the girl’s forehead, her thumbs stroking the soft skin of her cheeks and her voice rough with emotion as she repeated the words she had been told decades earlier.

“I need you to know I’m always going to be here for you no matter what, sweetheart. Doesn’t matter how far apart we are or where we end up. I will always be here for you.”

Morgan gazed into her eyes as she contemplated the words, her fingers absently grasping at the sleeves of Hope’s hoodie and her expression earnest.

“You promise?”

Hope nodded, drawing the child back into her arms and rising to her feet. Her eyes found the first star of the early evening as it twinkled into existence in the sky, and her heart felt a little more at peace as she answered in a firm, confident voice.

“Promise.”

* * *

The fire crackled steadily in the fireplace, providing just the right amount of warmth and bathing the room in a soothing, pleasant glow. Hope sat on the floor next to it, still wrapped up in the oversized Iron Man blanket she and Morgan had shared after dinner while Hope had told her stories about her dad, delighting the little girl and making her mother chuckle fondly. Her half full wine glass sat on the coffee table by her side while Pepper’s glass remained closer to the couch, waiting for her return. The older woman had taken her daughter upstairs for her bath and bedtime routine, but not before she had uploaded a video she had found to Hope’s Starkpad, giving her an affectionate smile as she held Morgan’s hand.

She had waited until she was alone before she tugged the blanket more securely around her shoulders, taking a deep breath and placing the device on its stand on top of the table, her heart beating just a little faster as her shaking hand reached out to press the play button. Even though she knew what to expect, a small, hiccuping cry tore from her throat at the sight of Tony seating himself in front of the camera, giving her one of his heartfelt smiles before he began speaking.

“Hey, Hope. If you’re watching this…”

Hope hung on to every single word, committing his goodbye to memory, this time readily allowing the tears to slide down her cheeks and her lower lip to tremble, past the need to bury her feelings. After all, the man in the video wasn’t doing anything to hide his own emotions from her, openly shedding his own tears as he finished what he had to say.

“Pepper is the world’s greatest mom… but you understand just as much as I do what it’s like growing up with your parents’ legacy hanging over everything you do. I don’t want it to be a burden for Morgan like it was for us. Please help her, Hope.” 

Rising to his feet, he walked closer, visibly swallowing as he knelt in front of the camera.

“I gotta go now… but I wanted to tell you that I’m so proud of you. You were always amazing even as a kid, and I’m glad I had the chance to see you grow up into an even more extraordinary person. You’ve always been a hero, Hope, long before you put on that suit. Don’t ever forget that.” 

Tony clasped his hands together over his heart and Hope extended her fingers to brush against the screen, smiling as she wept.

“I love you, Connect Four.”

**Author's Note:**

> While this essentially wraps up the series, I'm considering adding little drabbles and ficlets from all the headcanons I have. A lot of the ones I mentioned in the story are ideas I've scribbled down over the last four years that are gathering cobwebs on my hard drive, some completed and some half finished. 
> 
> Thank you for reading!


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